The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was saddened to learn that J Robinson, a Distinguished Member inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005, passed away on Sunday, at the age of 79. 

“On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and staff, I want to extend our sincere sympathies to J’s wife, Sue, his family, friends, and the thousands of wrestlers and coaches across the country whose lives were shaped by his influence, friendship, mentorship, and leadership,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “A legendary Olympic wrestler, esteemed coach, and proud Army Ranger veteran, J’s impact on wrestling began in the 1960s and spanned more than seven decades. Throughout his remarkable career, he built a legacy defined by an unwavering work ethic, visionary leadership, and a lifelong commitment to elevating the sport and inspiring generations of athletes.” 

A tenacious competitor, championship coach, innovative leader and a driving force in the sport of wrestling, Robinson’s competitive spirit and “give it your all” attitude emerged during his days as a prep wrestler in California. He won SDIF titles in 1963 and 1964 and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1964. His flair for international competition and being on the “cutting edge of the sport” began when he became a member of the inaugural California International Team. Competing in Japan, the pioneer team paved the way for young wrestlers of the future. 

In the next years, Robinson made his mark in not just one style of wrestling, but three. He honed his collegiate style skills under the instruction of the legendary coach and fellow Distinguished Member Myron Roderick at Oklahoma State University. Shifting his focus to the International arena, he was a member of two World teams, finishing fourth in 1970 and fifth in 1971. He competed as a member of the 1972 Greco-Roman Olympic Team and was named to WIN Magazine's All-Olympic team of the Century. During this time, he won four national titles; two in freestyle and two in Greco-Roman. 

With his three-style background, he began his coaching career at the University of Iowa. As an assistant coach to fellow Distinguished Member Dan Gable, Robinson’s wealth of knowledge helped propel the team to an amazing nine national championships in 12 years. In 1984, as interim coach, he led the Hawkeyes to another NCAA title and a Big Ten Conference championship. 

In 1986 Robinson was named head coach of the University of Minnesota and over the next three decades he developed an environment of excellence that saw Minnesota rise to elite status in college wrestling. Robinson's teams claimed the first three National Championships in Minnesota history while the three-time National Coach of the Year helped develop 65 All-Americans, 14 individual national champions, six Big Ten team titles and 31 different Big Ten champions accounting for 49 individual titles. All told, Robinson's wrestlers amassed a total of 126 All-America honors, including a NCAA-record 10 All-Americans during the National Championship run in 2001. His .753 winning percentage and 440 dual meet victories both stand as both the best marks in Minnesota wrestling history. 

He was named the 1998, 2001, and 2012 Dan Gable Coach of the Year by Wrestling Insider News (WIN) Magazine and earned the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coach of the Year award in 2001 and 2012. Robinson also earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors seven times, more than any other coach in the conference's history at the time. At the 2002 National Duals in Columbus, Ohio, he was awarded the 2001 Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year award for his work and support of wrestling at all levels. 

In addition to his stellar coaching resume and unprecedented success at Minnesota, Robinson was a pioneer in the marketing and promotion of the sport to which he dedicated his life. Under his guidance, Minnesota established groundbreaking events which caught the eye of the wrestling community around the country. Most notably, Robinson introduced the Border Brawl, an exciting and entertaining dual meet event between Minnesota and arch-rival Iowa that featured an in-arena master of ceremonies, interviews with wrestlers, coaches, fans and local celebrities, highlight videos, instant replays, pyrotechnics, and much more. 

The first Border Brawl at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis proved to be a success as top-ranked Minnesota defeated Iowa, 22-15, in front of 15,646 fans on Feb. 1, 2002. The meet set an NCAA attendance record for a collegiate wrestling dual meet. In 2003, Robinson expanded the concept to include a home-and-home dual meet schedule with Iowa, including the season-opener at the then-Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, and a battle against Oklahoma State at Target Center. The Golden Gopher-Hawkeye matchup attracted 12,180 fans to St. Paul. 

Regarded as one of the top coaches in the country by student-athletes and peers, Robinson was also involved in coaching on the national and international level. He served as an assistant coach on four consecutive U.S. Olympic squads - 1976, 1980, 1984 and 1988 - and was the head coach for the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games. 

Robinson earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State in 1969, before beginning his service in the military. While at Oklahoma State, he was in the ROTC program and left as a Distinguished Military Graduate, Distinguished Military Student and was offered a Regular Army Commission as a Second Lieutenant in June 1969. Robinson then attended Airborne and Ranger School, as well as Jungle Warfare School, before beginning his tour in Vietnam. His accomplishments in Ranger School included becoming an Honor Graduate, and his first duty station was the officer in charge of the small arms department. 

In late 1970 through early 1971, Robinson was attached to the United States Military Academy in the Athletic Department. In February of 1971, he left for Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and then served with the First Cavalry Division as the Information Officer for the Third Brigade. A year later, in February of 1972, Robinson returned to the United States and wrestled for the Army. He would eventually be named to the 1972 Olympic Team, competing in September of 1972. In December of the year, Robinson resigned his commission and began work on his master's degree at the University of Iowa. 

From 1978 to 2021 Robinson operated the J Robinson Intensive Camps, the largest wresting camp system in the nation that trained over 60,000 wrestlers with a unique philosophy focusing on physical preparation, mental toughness, and life skills development. Robinson used his Ranger training as the inspiration for his camp system, which was best known for the iconic 28-day Intensive Camp., which was known as the most challenging athletic camp in the country for more than four decades. Athletes who earned enough points during camp through hard work qualified for the "I DID IT" shirt.